Projecting apparatus.



115,760,797. PATENTED MAY 24-, 1904.

v M. MARTIN. 1

PROJEGTING APPARATUS.

7 APPLICATION FILED an. 31, 1898. N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES 'ratenteol May 24, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

"MORRIS MARTIN, OF MALDEN. MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMASJ. DRUMMOND, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROJECTING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 760,797, dated. May 24:, 1904.

Application filed January 31,1898.' Serial No'. 668,546. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORRIS MARTIN, of Mal den, county of Middlesex, State of 'Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Projecting Apparatus, of which the following description, in connection with'the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the. drawings representing like parts,

This invention has for its object the pro: duction of a novel apparatus which I have chosento designate by the name of projecting apparatus, it being'designed to display in light and shade words, either exhibiting said words singly or by indicating said words as an operation of spelling, each letter being exhibited in the proper order of spelling the word.

My projecting apparatus is provided with a pattern-surface, preferably in the form of a strip of flexible material, such as paper, having holes or slots, which may be of different suitable motive power.

, inafter described andclaimed.

Figure'l is a section of a projecting appa-' ratus embodying my invention, said section being in the line 00 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a projecting apparatus, partially broken out centrally and part in section to O, the rotating shaft 0 of which is provided with a friction-pulley or other driver, as c, which acts on and rotates a suitable intermediate idler 0 which engages a suitable pulley or driven member 0 fast on, preferably, the

cylinder 0*, employed to support, as herein shown, the flexible patternsurface d, repre sented as a strip of paper having a series of holes or slots 0Z arranged in the proper predetermined order desired for the work to be done or the character to be displayed. Preferably the cylinder 0*, to which is fixed the wheel 0,

is made to feed or move the pattern surface I 4 or strip.' This electric motor may be readily driven by connecting the terminals 6 e ofthe motor-circuit with any suitable source of elec; tric supply. Instead of the electric motor a motor actuated by spring orweight or manual power might be employed; butthe electric motor would possess the great advantage of continuous operation with the minimum of attention. The cylinder will'preferably be mounted on a shaft the ends of which will turn on or in suitable center bearings, one of which is shown at c in Fig. 2. The cylinder is provided with a series of annular unobstructed grooves, said grooves being equidistant and occupying positions in line with the holes in the pattern-surface, said holes falling in longitudinal lines. f

' The flexible pattern-surface d is shown as taken from a suitable delivery roll or shaft d, having its ends supported in suitable bearings 0Z herein shown as arranged outside said base,

the pattern-surface being led to and-over said cylinder through a suitable space left between the base and top, said pattern-surface preferably passing from the casing at its opposite side, and then it may drop or be wound,

if desired, on any usual take-up roll, such as commonly employed to wind telegraphic or register tape, and it is shownhaving at preselected places elongated openings (Z (see Fig. 2,) the peculiar function of which will hereinafter appear. If desired and the characters displayed are to be soon repeated, then the pattern-surface may be of the shape of an endless belt, as represented in Fig. 4, two cylinders being employed to keep it in position. The length of exposure of any character may be determined by making the opening in the pattern-surface to control its exposure more or less long, or this peculiar function may be obtained in many other ways. The paper may be kept down on the cylinder by any usual pressing device, as a roll d, and said roll may have a yielding surface, so that it may exert suflicient pressure on the paper to enable the paper to be fed by the movement of the cylinder. The roll d will preferably have its bearings supported in the top, and instead of the particular roll shown I may employ any other suitable device for this purpose. I have herein shownthe top as provided at one end with a tube, having, it will be understood, a suitable lensL of any desired magnifying power lenses such, for instance, as are used in stereopticons and magiclanterns and at or near the opposite end of said top 1 have shown suitably suspended an incandescent electric lamp L, I having chosen it as one form of well-known apparatus for producing or centering rays of light, and this lamp may be connected in circuit with any known or suit able source of supply. I

The apparatus is further provided with a series of targets f. These targets are herein shown as bent levers pivotally mounted on a suitable rod f, one arm of each of said levers carrying at its end a character, asf which will more or less obstruct the passage of the rays of light through the lens,'thus enabling the light-rays leaving the lens to assume different forms, that depending on the particular shape of the characters carried by the levers. Each of the other arms of these levers rides on the pattern-surface or paper. Being moved under it is a trip-arm, and, as herein shown, when a hole d (see Fig.2) of a series of such holes in said paper comes under a trip-arm the character carried by the other arm is put into the focus of the rays of light, and the rays of light passing from the lens will vary according to the shape of the character then in operative position. For instance, the characters may be letters, (see A,) and in such case there will be twenty-six characters, one for each letter, and one of these charactersas, for instance, the one locatednext the lens, (see f )-may be afulldisk, so that when it comes into the focus of the rays there will be temporarily a cessation of light-rays shown, or it may be put into position, the end of a word being spelled out by successively displaying said characters.

As herein shown, the characters overbalance the levers, so that the shorter ends of said levers ride on the paper; but movement of said levers by gravity is determined by a stop-rod The projecting apparatus hereinbefore referred to is capable of being adapted to a great variety of work. I have herein specifically illustrated it as adapted to spell out words, the characters represented being letters; but it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that instead of the characters being single letters they may be two or more letters or a word, or they may be stenciled plates or disks representing different characters or designs more or less comical, or otherwise.

This apparatus may be used for advertising purposes, and the electric motor may be started and the electric light turned on, and the apparatus may be thereafter run without any attention, and the characters represented on the targets may be displayed one after the other in the predetermined or desired order, that being absolutely controlled by or through the pattern-surface. This invention is not limited, however, to the exact kind of pattern-surface shown, and instead I may employ any other usual or suitable pattern-surface; but the employment of the flexible pattern-surface is of great advantage, because of its cheapness and because a pattern-surface of one character may be readily put into position to take the place of a very different pattern-surface.

This invention, besides being used for advertising purposes, may be used on shipboard to convey intelligence from one ship to another at a distance, or it maybe used in a lighthouse to throw out into the atmosphere any desired number, word, or signal to indicate a particular lighthouse.

This apparatus may be used, if desired,

after the telegraphic code, the character-targets being disks or operated to fully obstruct the light-rays for a longer or shorter period, the difference in exposure of the light-rays corresponding with the dots and dashes of a Morse telegraph. So, also, if desired, the targets may be composed of glass of dilierent colors, or the targets may contain any usual or suitable chemical substances adapted to change or modify the color of light-rays, so that by a change of position of these targets any degree of color or intensity of color may be gained. It is unnecessary herein to show a target containing chemical substances for modifying or changing the hues or color of light-rays passing through them, for such knowledge is had and in the possession of people skilled in the art appertaining thereto.

I have herein shown the apparatus as provided with a single tube containing a lens; but I desire it to be understood that the apparatus or case may contain any desired number of tubes and lenses, so that, if desired, 1 may display a plurality of different characters or designs, making up, if need be,'an entire word or a series of different colors or characters. So, also, by the use of aplurality of tubes the characters thrown out into the light may be gradually made one to take the placeof the other without any startling effect, or they may be handled as dissolving yiews.

I contemplate that by the use of this apparatus I may, with excessively strong and pow: erful light, throw out the characters upon a cloud in the heavens. 1

I have herein shown the case as composed of a base and a top; but it will be understood that the case in itself forms no part of this invention, and it may be of any usualor de-' sired or suitable shape and of any usual or suitable material. 7

It will be understood that I may employ herein any usual form or character of lens commonly employed to control light in any stereopticon, magic-lantern, &c.

For greater simplicity in the operation of the parts the cylinder 0 is made the feeding device for the pattern-surface; but it will be obvious that this invention would not be departed from if some other means were applied to the strip to draw it over the surface of the cylinder and the said cylinder was not itself made the sole feeding device.

For the best results I prefer, in case the apparatus is used to spell out words, in the formation of letters that the letters of the character-targets nearer the lens besmaller than those nearer the source of light, this variation in size being more or less, according to the length of the apparatus and the number of characters to be displayed.

In case the apparatus is used for signaling from one ship to another such apparatus will be rotated at a given or standard speed, so that the pattern-surface will move uniformly, and this uniformity of movement being un- Cler'stood the varying period of light may be nosed and interpreted as per an established (l0 It will be observed that in my apparatus means are provided for playing upon the targets in contradistinction to bringing the targets, as in previous constructions, in regular succession.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Aprojecting apparatus comprising a case provided with a lens, means for producing a strong light within the case, a series of independently-movable targetsand a pattern mechanism adapted to throw said targets into position between the source of light and the lens in the order predetermined by said mechanism. 2. In a projecting apparatus, a case provided with a lens and a light, a series of independently-movable targets each being provided with an arm, a movable flexible pattern-surface being provided with perforations of varying lengths, the ends of said levers being adapted to enter the perforations in the flexible pattern-surface to permit anyone of said targets to drop into operative position be tween the lens and light.

3. A projecting apparatus comprising a case having an opening, means for producing a strong light within the case, a series of targets each consisting of a lever having an arm carry ing a character, and a trip-arm, and meansfor playingupon the trip arm independently for throwing any one of the characters as de sired between the case-opening and the lighting means.

4;. A projecting apparatus comprisingacase having an opening, means for producing a strong light within the case, a series of independently-movable targets each consisting of a lever having an arm carrying a character, and a trip-arm, means for playing upon the triparms for throwing any one of the characters as desired between the case-opening and the lighting means, and means for operating the playing means. I

5. A projecting apparatus comprising a case having an opening, means for producing a strong light within the case, a series of targets. each consisting of a lever havlng an arm carry ing a character, and a trip-arm, a cylinder having annular unobstructed grooves, a patternsurface for playing upon the trip-arms adapted to support the trip-arms in inoperative position over the grooves of the cylinder, and having slots through which the. trip-arms fall for throwing the levers individually into operative position with the characters between the case-opening and the lighting means, and means for operating the pattern-surface.

6. A projecting apparatus comprising a case having an opening, means for producing a strong light within the case, a series of targets each consisting of a lever having an arm carrying a character and a trip-arm, a cylinder having annular unobstructed grooves, a patternsurface for playing upon the trip-arms, adapted to support the trip-arms in inoperative position, over the grooves of the cylinder and having slots of different lengths through which the trip-arms fall for throwing the levers individually into operative position with the characters between the case-opening and lighting means and for controlling the length of time that the characters shall be exposed, and means for operating the pattern-surface.

7. A projecting apparatus comprising a case having an opening, means for producing a strong light within the case, a series of targets each consisting of a lever having an arm carrying a character and a trip-arm, a cylinder having annular unobstructed grooves, a pattern- IIO surface extending through the case for playing upon the trip-arms adapted to support the triparms in inoperative position over the grooves of the cylinder, and having slots through Which the trip-arms fall for throwing the levers individually into operative position with the characters between the case opening and the lighting means, a pressure-roller for holding the pattern-surface to the cylinder, and means for rotating the cylinder to advance the pat- 1O tern-surface.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence 01 two subscribing Witnesses.

- MORRIS MARTIN. l/Vitnesses:

GEO. W. GREGORY, EDITH M. STODDARD. 

